HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2021-04-892 Naming "Henry Clay 'Yank' Washington Park"CITY OF ANNA, TEXAS
RESOLUTION NO. 2Da I" a .. L J 2
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ANNA, TEXAS NAMING A PARK LOCATED AT 636
BANBURY "HENRY CLAY `YANK' WASHINGTON PARK"
WHEREAS, the Parks Advisory Board reviewed and unanimously recommended to the City
Council naming the new playground for an early and beloved Anna neighbor named Henry
Clay "Yank" Washington at the October 19, 2020 Parks Advisory Board meeting; and
WHEREAS, the City of Anna, Texas City Council adopted a Policy and Procedure for Naming
City Parks, Trails, Recreational Areas, and Other Recreation Facilities on November 10,
2020; and
WHEREAS, the Neighborhood Services Department followed the naming policy in
researching Mr. Washington with support from the Anna Area Historical Preservation Society;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Washington was believed to be the only African American neighbor in Anna
from the late 1800s through the mid-1930s; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Washington worked as a janitor at the historic train depot, the Interurban
station, the bank, post office, and several stores in town; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Washington's main job was to carry bags of mail from the depot to the post
office using a homemade wooden cart with two large iron wheels; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Washington was well liked in Anna, and sometime in the late 1920s the
neighbors of Anna took up a collection and bought him a railroad watch so that he would
always know the time to expect the mail train; and
WHEREAS, late in Mr. Washington's life, the neighbors of Anna took up a collection to pay
Mr. Washington's way on the train to St. Louis and back so that he could visit a relative he
had not seen since he was 17 and a large crowd was waiting to greet him when he returned
to Anna; and
WHEREAS, the naming of park or other recreation areas are to ensure that the given names
are consistent with the values and character of the area or neighborhood served and within
the City as a whole; and
WHEREAS, the historic context of the time when Mr. Washington resided in Anna was during
segregation in the U.S. South before the long -overdue civil rights movement that resulted in
the abolition of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation; and
WHEREAS, despite enduring the harsh restrictions and inherent inequality of so-called
"separate but equal' segregation rules, Mr. Washington earned the respect and affection of
his neighbors in Anna providing hope for the inclusion that would eventually grow to be a
principal value in our community; and
WHEREAS, the historic naming %J the park will better ensure a sense of place for all
neighbors and distinguish the park as a public space.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ANNA,
TEXAS THAT THE PARK LOCATED AT 636 BANBURY DRIVE BE NAMED "HENRY
CLAD `YAVI ' WASHINGTON PARK."
PASSED AN®APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Anna, Texas on this 13th day of
April 2021.
ATTESTED:
Carrie L. Land, City Secretary
APPROVED:
Uto
ike, Mayor